The Emerald Buddha is Thailand's most highly revered symbol. Said to have been discovered in 1434 at Chiang Rai, in the far north near the Laotian border, it was at some point removed to Laos, where it remained for over 200 years before being recovered by Thailand's King Rama I, in 1778. Soon after its recovery, Rama I ordered that a temple be built on the grounds of Bangkok's Grand Palace as a royal chapel to enshrine the image. To this day, members of the royal family preside over major national Buddhist observances at the temple, which is in effect the spiritual heart of the Thai kingdom and the Thai people.

Temple of the Emerald Buddha: Wat Phra Kaeo

A giant yaksha, one of a pair of guardian demons, keeps watch over an entry pavilion inside the temple.

This view of the central area of the temple takes in the Royal Pantheon, Prasat Phra Thep Bidon, center background, with a partial view of the Golden Chedi, the temple's main chedi or stupa, left background, and two smaller chedi on the right built by Rama I in honor of his father and mother.

The resplendent ubosot or ordination hall in which the Emerald Buddha is housed is seen in the background. The Hindu god Vishnu astride Garuda appears on the building's gableboard.

The tiny Emerald Buddha, Phra Kaeo, is just 26 inches high. Its garments are changed three times a year by the ruling majesty, following the changes in the seasons.

Phra Sri Rattana, the Golden Chedi, the temple's principal stupa, was built by King Mongkut, Rama IV, and is said to hold a piece of the Buddha's breastbone. It was modeled after a chedi of the same name in the kingdom of Ayutthaya, the intent being to evoke some of the former glory of that lost realm.

A view of Prasat Phra Thep Bidon, the Royal Pantheon

Phra Sri Rattana, the Golden Chedi

The temple's principal structures are surrounded by cloistered galleries reminiscent of those that enclosed the central sanctuary at Khmer/Hindu temples. Running the entire length of their interiors—a distance of over 2,000 yards—are murals depicting scenes from the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Hindu classic Ramayana.

This wall painting depicting the green figure of Rama shows him enclosed within a characteristically Thai design motif called a kanok, a triangular swirl whose vegetal frame creates a flamelike effect. Closer inspection reveals multiple smaller kanok forming sections of the frame itself as well as others at the ends of the beltlike sash at Rama's waist.

Created in the late-18th century during the reign of Rama I, the murals have been extensively restored and altered over the years. Along with the tale of Rama and Sita, they also present classic examples of Thai royal architecture.

Hanuman, Rama's monkey ally, here uses his magical powers to enlarge himself to the size of a mountain, placing Rama's entire pavilion in his mouth to protect it from Rama's enemies.

Yakshas encircle the base of a chedi alongside the Royal Pantheon, Prasat Phra Thep Bidon.

Many of the vistas within the temple open onto what might be described as a kind of splendid visual overload. Here a mythical kinnara, half-man half-bird creature from the Himaphan Forest, dominates the view.

Phra Mondop, the temple's principal library, with the Royal Pantheon in the background

Detail from the exterior of the Phra Mondop library

Another yaksha guardian figure, outside the library

Phra Mondop and the top of Prasat Phra Thep Bidon from within the temple grounds

Carved guardian figures on a temple door. The narrower dimension seen at the top is only slightly the result of camera-lens distortion. This is actually a traditional Thai door style: narrower at the top than at the base.

The Golden Chedi

Yaksha guardian

The Golden Chedi

A row of guardian garudas, part-bird part-human creatures, each standing atop two serpentlike naga whose tails the garudas grasp in their hands

Nilapasan, a monkey-warrior ally of Rama

The Thai love of patterning and color is apparent in this detail of a warrior's attire.

In this detail of a fierce-looking multi-faced creature, more kanok are seen emanating from the collar and surrounding the ear. Even the stylized white and gray eyebrows encircling the eyes and the similarly shaped fur surrounding the mouth—perhaps the tongue itself—seem
to be kanok-inspired.